Cole's Blog
November Newsletter / 11.10.08, 03:43 PM
Dearest Friends,
We pray that this letter has found you in peace. We can’t believe another month has already passed! Were going to tell you a little about our neighborhood that we have learned over the past couple months. However, we don’t like statistics; we think they have done more harm than good on the societal (non-laboratory) level. We could tell you that 97% of the local middle school is African American or that Vine City’s homicide rate is 1/1000 compared to the rest of Atlanta’s .358/1000. But instead of continuing with dehumanizing numbers, we will tell you that many criminals are repeat offenders, that the majority of newborn babies don’t have a dedicated father, and that there are a lot of girls under 17 who are already mothers. Of all of Vine City’s newborns, only slightly over half of their mothers have graduated high school. Of the kids who are in school, most of them get free or reduced lunches. These facts are only a way of indicating that this neighborhood has needs.
If we are going to be able to try to meet the needs of our neighborhood, we first need to remember the Israelites time in Egypt. Egypt was a place of pain, poverty, dominion, and oppression. We need to remember that God’s heart is for those people and has heard their cries in the past. To better help meet the needs of others, we must be willing to carry our cross’s for the people Jesus suffered for (including people like you and us). To see their tears, to bear their burdens, to toil in their hardships, so that we may be able to truly empathize with the needs of God’s people.
We have been spending the past couple months getting to know the faces that bear these needs. Our neighbor Tamika is a great is example. We have been fostering relationships with the majority of her family since we arrived here. It began as a simple game of Frisbee with her son Deonte, and soon followed was his sister Aallyia coloring in our kitchen. Kids had told us that their mom was pregnant and couldn’t get around very easily. After a dinner with their family and several conversations later, Tamika called because she had gone into labor but had no way to the hospital and no one else to turn to. Unfortunately, our team car was lent out to some other friends of ours; so, Kris contacted another one of our neighbors, cancelled her trip to Target, and drove Tamika and her family to the local hospital. Very early the next morning Tamika delivered her baby alone while Kris was getting Deonte and Aallyia ready for school and Tracy (the baby’s father) was at work. Eight hours later, Kris and Faith saw beautiful baby Jordan through the nursery glass window, before Tamika had even been allowed to hold her child. Healthy mom and baby are now back home, where they live in their two-bedroom apartment with Tracy and the three other children. These are just some of the injustices our new friends face everyday. Things we have never had to deal with. It has been an honor to help Tamika with her family and share in her burdens, and she has helped us to see God through those he cares for most.
If you like this story of Tamika, you can find it and others like it on our blog. Our blog address is: www.missionyear.org/blog/cole . Here you will find an electronic copy of our newsletter as well as stories and musings of our daily life here in Atlanta. So far, we have raised approximately $4000.00, which is a little more than 16% of our goal. We greatly appreciate those who have given, and the prayers and support of those who cannot give financially. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers!
Love,
Raymond and Kris Cole
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